In a report today from Fortune, BMW is planning to announce an alliance to assist them in the development of autonomous cars. The announcement, scheduled for tomorrow is said to be between chipmaker Intel and collision detection specialist Mobileye.
Mobileye has been working to produce computer and camera-based vision systems since 1999. They have developed a set of algorithms and their own proprietary processor that have already been used by automakers like BMW for nearly 10 years. BMW's relationship with them began with lane departure warning systems for the 5 Series and 6 Series cars in 2007. The Israeli company is one of the leaders in helping cars to "see" the road and other cars, and their technology is used by Tesla to enable the company's self drive functions.
Intel, the California based processor company, has been looking to break into the automotive market. They are a likely choice for the level of CPU that is necessary to integrate the self drive processing requirements into the rest of the BMW vehicle systems.
There has been a flurry of similar tie-in announcements of late, with more and more manufacturers trying to ensure their future in the autonomous market and avoid being left behind or stranded with older tech. Mobileye is already expecting more similar announcements, with their chief financial officer, Ofer Maharshak, saying earlier this month that "first full autonomous car on the roads, 2021 timeframe. It’s going to be probably announced in the coming weeks". The BMW announcement is scheduled for tomorrow.
